Press Review

“Hayots Ashkhar” says that the decision by the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) to pull out of the government brought more clarity to the political scene in the country in the aftermath of the parliamentary elections. The paper says Thursday’s statement by BHK leader Gagik Tsarukian means that the party will be contesting next year’s presidential election with its own candidate. It is careful not to speculate who that candidate might be.

“The BHK’s move is also raising many questions,” writes “Zhoghovurd.” “In particular, what will happen to the coalition statement signed in February last year in which the BHK, Orinats Yerkir and the Republican Party (HHK) agreed to support the current president’s candidacy in the 2013 election? Will the BHK be obliged to support Serzh Sarkisian’s candidacy even after leaving the coalition and not being part of the authority?”

In an interview with “Aravot,” Suren Abrahamian, a senior member of the opposition Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party, insists that the BHK’s decision does not mean that opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian has succeeded in driving a wedge between Tsarukian’s party and the Republicans. He also says that Hanrapetutyun continues to believe that Ter-Petrosian’s Armenia National Congress (HAK) was wrong to collaborate with the BHK in the parliamentary elections. “Don’t be so naïve,” Abrahamian tells the paper. “There is no way they [the BHK] will join the opposition. They understand future difficulties hanging over the republic. That is why they are simply insuring themselves.”

“Yerkir” says the BHK showed that “it does not want to participate in a formal process that amounts to guaranteeing the absence of an alternative to Serzh Sarkisian and certifying the falsified results of the parliamentary elections.” The paper also says that without the BHK’s involvement a new coalition government due to be formed by the HHK will even more of a formality. It quotes HHK spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov as saying late on Wednesday that the ruling party will form a “coalition” with Orinats Yerkir. “This is an extremely illogical decision because it’s unclear what is the purpose of a union between a force having an absolute [parliamentary] majority and effectively bearing full responsibility for the government and Orinats Yerkir trusted by 5 percent of the electorate,” comments “Yerkir.”